Blogs

The children’s book author best known for her Oliver and Amanda Pig series has died at 87. Van Leeuwen wrote nearly 60 books, some of which sold millions of copies.

(Image credit: Ann Schweninger)

The video game industry is huge. Last year alone it generated an estimated $187 billion dollars in revenue.

But it’s also facing a host of serious issues: massive layoffs, the advent of A.I., games that take years to be released, and a schism between big and small developers.

This week’s Reporter’s Notebook takes us inside this evolving industry with NPR’s Vincent Acovino, who recently covered the annual Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco.

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At CinemaCon, a yearly convention for movie theater industry leaders, cinema owners say they’re experimenting with events to bring in customers.

(Image credit: B&B Theatres)

NPR’s Scott Simon talks to Dan Billheimer, owner of the Lighthouse Café in Sanibel, Florida, about reuniting with an artifact from his restaurant that had disappeared after Hurricane Ian in 2022.

When the Segundo ski lift in Colorado was first installed, Dwight Eisenhower was in the White House and candy bars cost a nickel. It’s finally being replaced, but not before a big retirement party.

NPR’s Scott Simon speaks to Ray Mendoza about the film, “Warfare,” which he wrote and directed with Alex Garland. The film is based on Mendoza’s experiences as a US Navy SEAL fighting in Iraq.

This week, special guest Sterling K. Brown joins panelists Tig Notaro, Negin Farsad, and Josh Gondelman

(Image credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN)

Organizers of Oakland’s First Fridays art festival made a flyer promoting the event using AI, and are facing backlash for not using an actual artist. NPR’s Scott Simon explains.

It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for TikTok creators over the past few months, with the app’s future uncertain. But there are ways to decompress.

(Image credit: Matt Slocum)

NPR’s Ailsa Chang speaks with movie critic Bob Mondello and culture reporter Isabella Gomez Sarmiento about movies they’ve loved over the years, from childhood into adulthood.